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Friday, April 18, 2008

baby vidalia onion "spring tonic" soup

Much of my life in cooking has been intermingled with my love for herbs. And I have a tradition as soon as we get a few warm days to make a green "spring tonic" soup. On seeing these beautiful baby Vidalias, I practically swooned with delight.

My first instinct was to make a raw soup, simply sliced and pureed. The baby Vidalias are sweet and crispy, and tastier than something like baby bok choy, but I ended up doing a quick braise, simmer, and puree instead.This serves 2.2 baby Vidalias with greens, chopped1 small red potato, shredded1/2 cup minced Italian parsley1 T. minced fresh dillchicken stock- about 1 1/3 cupspinch dried thymeshredded Vidalia bulb for garnish ( about 1 T. per bowl)fresh corn, sliced off the cob for garnish ( about 1 T. per bowl)Do not salt until after pureeing, then taste very carefully.Place a tablespoon of unsalted butter and a tablespoon of virgin olive oil in a pot and heat. Add the chopped Vidalias and braise for 10 minutes, then add the shredded potato and chicken stock. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the dill, parsley, and thyme. Using a blender stick, or a blender, puree. Taste carefully and season with salt and pepper, as wished.Pour into bowls, and carefully add a tablespoon each of the shredded baby Vidalia bulb and the freshly cut corn kernels. Serve with a good bread and cheese, or simply bread and unsalted butter.This is my blog entry into the Herbal Essence:HotM 15 over at http://accidentalscientist.blogspot.com/